Federal Sentencing Intelligence
Public-data reference. for PlainSentencing.
Uncover federal sentencing disparities across 90 districts & 45 offenses with rankings, trends & comparisons from 661k+ USSC cases FY2015-2024.
Federal criminal sentencing data from the U.S. Sentencing Commission. Explore sentencing outcomes, judicial disparities, and guideline compliance across all 94 federal districts.
Legal Disclaimer: This data is for informational and research purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice. Individual cases vary significantly. Consult a licensed federal criminal defense attorney for guidance on specific legal matters.
What You Can Explore
District Profiles
Compare sentencing outcomes across all 94 federal districts. See average sentences, departure rates, and disparity scores.
Offense Analysis
Drill into any federal offense type: typical sentences, guideline ranges, 10-year trends, and district-level variation.
Rankings
Harshest vs. most lenient districts, highest departure rates, most cases — ranked by the data.
Sentencing Guides
Plain-language guides to understanding federal sentencing data, guidelines, and how to use PlainSentencing for research.
How Federal Sentencing Works
Guidelines, departures, and judicial discretion
Mandatory Minimums Explained
When Congress overrides judicial discretion
Sentencing Disparities
Geographic variation across federal districts
Plea Bargaining in Federal Court
How 97% of cases are resolved
Reading Sentencing Data
Interpret district profiles and disparity scores
Featured Districts
View all →Frequently Asked Questions
What is PlainSentencing?
PlainSentencing presents federal criminal sentencing statistics from the United States Sentencing Commission (USSC) in a clear, searchable format. The data covers FY2015–{latestFy} across all 94 federal judicial districts.
What does "disparity score" mean?
The disparity score measures how far a district's average sentences deviate from the national average for the same offense types. A positive score means sentences tend to be above the national average; negative means below. This helps identify geographic variation in sentencing outcomes.
What does "in/out of guidelines" mean?
Federal sentencing guidelines provide a recommended range for each offense. Judges can sentence "within" that range, go above it (upward departure), go below it (downward departure), or issue a "Booker variance" citing broader factors. PlainSentencing tracks how often each district uses each type.
Is this data accurate and current?
Data comes directly from the USSC's publicly released annual datafiles (ussc.gov), covering FY2015–{latestFy}. The USSC publishes data annually with a lag; FY{latestFy} is the most recent release. We present the data as-is without modification.
Explore Related Legal Data
Guides & Analysis
Editorial research and plain-language explainers from our team. Every guide is written to help you read the underlying public data correctly.